Analysis Of The Handmaid's Tale By Margaret Atwood

The way one understands a book is based on their ethnicity, culture and political view. In the novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, written by Margaret Atwood, a new society, Republic of Gilead, is established. Handmaid’s, fertile women, are forced to have a child for a couple. Many people will get a different interpretation of the new laws implemented to rule the new society. Liberals and Conservatives will read and interpret the novel because it involves a new government, which means they will be critical of the death penalty, religion, and Republic of Gilead as a whole. Committing a serve crime can lead to punishments such as death by being hung, which started in the late nineteenth century. People in modern day society believe the death penalty is justified and unjustified. For instance, Offred is notified about the hangings that are going to occur and, she believes, “It has been the custom to precede the actual salvaging with a detailed account of the crime of which the prisoners stand convicted”(275). Conservatives can interpret it as being a “custom” in their society, which

For example, as Ofglen and Offred walk back from shopping they see a wall and, “Each [doctor] has a placecard hung around his neck to show why he has been executed: drawing of a human fetus”(32). According to a significant amount of conservatives, it is not crucial or abnormal to take one's life if they have committed a “terrible” crime. They would allow the hanging to occur since the doctors did kill a human(fetus). Many also argue that it depends on the severity of the crime such as killing someone else. Liberals argue, no human deserves to be executed even if they kill someone. Therefore, liberals will interpret the execution as being morally wrong. Although committing a crime can lead to your death, liberals believe it is unjustified and conservatives believe it is